Apps

If you just got a new iPhone, there are lots of things you can do to make the most of the great cameras you now have in your pocket. I’ve selected some of the best camera and photo editing apps to help you enhance your shots from your iPhone. And even if you’re already a long-time iPhone user, it’s worth giving these apps a try.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Type is a minimalist note taking app for your Mac, allowing you to easily capture notes and keep them organized – all from a simple keyboard shortcut. It’s the best way to jot something down in a pinch, without any of the potential distractions.

Although iOS comes with a native Apple Music app, there are some third-party apps that offer even better experiences for those who subscribe to Apple’s streaming service. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber and want to find out how to better enjoy your music library, check out some of the best iOS apps with Apple Music integration.

The year is almost over, but the team behind the popular fitness and wellness app Gentler Streak still had a few cards up their sleeve for 2024. The latest update to the app adds improvements to health metrics, as well as the long-awaited Activity Recap 2024.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

one sec aims to help people reduce mindless scrolling on social media, requiring users to make a conscious decision on whether or not they want to actually open that app every time. It’s very configurable, so you can customize one sec to meet your needs.

We learned earlier this week of a Bluesky extortion issue, emerging after the social network said that it would use domain name ownership as a way to verify the identity of public figures.

Bluesky hasn’t fully addressed the issue, but has taken one step toward reducing the problem of scammers impersonating well-known people on the platform …

Analytics data suggests that we’re downloading fewer iPhone apps this year than last, but spending significantly more money on them. That’s because almost half of developer revenue now comes from subscriptions.

App Store downloads declined slightly in the past 12 months, but the total spend increased dramatically from $73.7B last year to $91.6B this year …

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has for the first time revealed the daily number of Threads users, stating that there are now more than 100 million daily active users. It’s also been suggested that the current trajectory means that the app could catch up with the social network formerly known as Twitter.

Zuckerberg is likely aiming to fight back against the growing popularity of Bluesky, also citing a new milestone in monthly active users …

The TikTok ban is once again in doubt, despite an appeals court rejecting the company’s argument that it was protected by the First Amendment.

Parent company ByteDance has applied to the US Supreme Court for an emergency injunction against the law requiring it to sell TikTok to a US company or be banned …

Apple has revealed the most downloaded App Store apps and games of 2024. Its top charts are localized for many parts of the world, so you can see the most popular downloads in your own country. Here are the top apps and games of the year.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

TechniCalc is a fully featured calculator app, with all of the advanced features you’d need – but without a clunky or outdated UI. It focuses on being clean, easy to use, while being good for mathematicians. It’s available for iPhone, iPad, Mac.

Christmas is almost here, and although it’s already a magical time, technology can certainly help make this time of year even more special. With that in mind, an app called “Better Call Santa” lets you arrange a call with Santa for your children, all with the help of AI.

Plenty of people have tried to replace Twitter/X, but only a few new social media apps have achieved any traction, notably Threads and Bluesky.

But a new app created by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams isn’t trying to replace those, but instead do one of the things I most value about social media, and absolutely nothing else …

Every now and then a developer creates an app that lets you turn your iPhone display into a classic iPod. They never last long before Apple pulls them from the App Store, but there’s a new one you can grab before Tim spoils the fun.

To skirt Apple’s rules, developers have to employ various tricks to disguise the functionality, and this latest example is no exception …

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Griply is an all-in-one app that brings together your goals, habits, and tasks – making them easier to accomplish, and keep track of. It helps people turn big goals into daily actions.

I recently wrote about Karo, a new iPhone app from developer Mustafa Yusuf that helps people create to-do lists and assign tasks to others. Starting today, Mac users can also try out Karo with a native version for macOS.

Looking for a way to bring some holiday cheer to your Mac? Festivitas is a new app from developer Simon Støvring that does exactly that.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Minizones is a sweet and simple Mac app that allows you to glance at varying timezones across the globe, right from your Mac’s menu bar. It’s a nice tool if you work remotely and have to communicate with coworkers across the globe, or regularly need to communicate with people in varying places.

Kaleidoscope, the popular file comparison and merge tool, recently released an update with significant improvements to its merge conflict resolution tools. The new version introduces new features and refinements that aim to streamline the process of resolving Git merge conflicts and provide users with a more comprehensive understanding of code changes.

HomePass is a must-have app for HomeKit and Matter users, making it easy to keep track of all your accessories. This week, developer Aaron Pearce has unveiled HomePass 2, a complete rewrite of the app that adds several excellent new features for HomeKit enthusiasts.

The premise of HomePass, available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is that it gives you a central location to store your HomeKit accessory setup codes. This new version further upgrades that experience.